Design for a Stage Set 1830 - 1890

Editor: We’re looking at Eugène Cicéri’s “Design for a Stage Set,” made with pencil on paper, sometime between 1830 and 1890. It’s a preliminary sketch, and what strikes me is the way the architecture looms, but it’s also kind of ephemeral, not fully defined. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It’s interesting to consider this drawing in its historical moment, thinking about the rise of industrialization and urbanization. How might the grand, almost overwhelming scale of the architecture, typical of stage sets from this period, reflect anxieties or even aspirations related to these societal shifts? Does it offer a sense of escape, or perhaps reinforce existing power structures? Editor: That’s a great point. I hadn’t considered the possible relationship between stage design and social anxieties. It does seem to hint at powerful institutions. But could it also be that these stage sets offered a space where societal norms could be questioned, if only through fictional narratives? Curator: Absolutely. The theater, throughout history, has functioned as both a mirror and a crucible of social norms. Consider who had access to these performances. What kind of social commentary, if any, could actually reach certain audience members and reinforce, or potentially undermine, their views of the world? The pencil medium also gives us a peak into the world of a 19th-century stage set designer, as if a moment captured in real-time from the artist's studio. Editor: So, the drawing isn't just a design, but also a record of a cultural moment, filled with its own questions and biases. Thanks, I have learned so much! Curator: It's about questioning who gets to build these grand narratives, and what stories get told on these stages.